NORTHERN Ireland shoppers are already embracing the Christmas spirit, spending an additional £4.6 million on take home savouries and £1.2m on take-home confectionery, according to data from retail analyst Kantar.
It said the grocery market across the north saw sales growth of 11.6% in the year to October 29, with shoppers shelling out £427.2m more than the previous year.
Grocery inflation now stands at 15.2% for October, which means the average annual grocery bill is set to rise by £826 from £5,438 to £6,264 if consumers maintained their traditional shopping habits.
“As food and drink prices continue to climb, with average prices up 11.1% compared to last year, the impact on shopper budgets is unavoidable for many Northern Irish consumers,” according to Kantar's business development director Emer Healy.
“As shoppers look for ways to manage costs, many are turning to cheaper alternatives such as retailer own label lines, where sales are up £260m compared to last year and versus branded products, which are up £169m year-on-year.”
Tesco has maintained its position at the top of the table as Northern Ireland’s largest grocer with a 35% share of the market, growing 11.7% year-on-year. It welcomed new shoppers in store alongside more frequent trips which contributed an additional £106.8m to their overall performance.
Sainsbury’s and Asda have a 16.7% and 15.9% share respectively, growing 11.5% and 10.7% year-on-year.
But the biggest winner was Lidl, which grew its customer base by 25.7% year-on-year, welcoming new shoppers and more frequent trips, which contributed an additional £44.3m to its overall performance. It now has a 9.2% market share in Northern Ireland.
